The present invention relates to improvements in securing extremities, particularly feet, to items of furniture.
The retail furniture business has become extremely competitive in recent years, especially in the high volume/low price realm, so manufacturers are constantly searching for ways to reduce costs. Two methods often employed are material substitution and reduction of cube (volume) in shipping. While new materials can be substituted for internal components, little has been done to reduce cube in shipping because the products' standard size and image are usually not changeable.
One of the few places that both cost savings actions can be employed is in the feet used on such items as easy chairs and sofas. These feet have traditionally been wood but, in recent times, lower cost plastic feet have been substituted. The production and material costs for plastic feet are much lower on a per unit basis. Plastic feet can be added to the furniture after it has been shipped, so that the cube of the shipped product is reduced. Also, because of the nature of plastic, a small shaft or stem can be formed at the top of the foot. The stem can be driven into holes in the furniture frame, thereby speeding up the assembly process. A stem of similar small section cannot be formed in wood because it would be too weak to withstand the side pressure to which it would be exposed. In addition, it would not be resilient and have the memory to "grasp" the hole into which it is inserted. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a plastic foot design that can be successfully driven into the furniture frame and not turn or work loose.